Alliance MBS has commissioned three animated infographics to showcase how our research is having an impact on the wider world. Each animation looks at how the research is shaping debate, changing practices and policies, and informing new ways of thinking and working.
Diversity
Our first animation looks at the work of Dr Anne McBride and Professor Helge Hoel who have been working with industry specialists to make recommendations for a practical approach to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
They looked at how decisions on recruitment and promotion are made in the best organisations, focusing on how employees are treated and how they are made to feel included.
The result is a new workplace standard, Valuing people through Diversity and Inclusion, which has the potential to transform management thinking and improve diversity across the UK.
Veterinary health
Our second film explains how the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has been working with Dr Elinor O’Connor from AMBS on analysing why the suicide rate among vets in the UK is higher than the national average.
Dr O’Connor has been researching why this is happening and trying to understand how work-related stress affects the profession. What she has discovered is that instead of factors relating to animals, a combination of issues with a human source appeared to be at the root of the problem such as: unrealistic expectations among pet owners; the demands of managing colleagues; long hours; and demanding shift patterns.
Spontaneous volunteers
Our third film looks at the work of Professor Duncan Shaw and Dr Chris Smith around spontaneous volunteers.
When a major natural or man-made disaster strikes people feel compelled to help but these spontaneous volunteers are usually untrained in emergency response and can become a hindrance to emergency services on the ground.
However, if trained correctly, these volunteers could instead offer a valuable resource in helping often stretched emergency services. In this light, our research has informed a new international standard which offers guidance in the event of natural and man-made disasters.